Tickets for the 14th annual All Good Music Festival went on sale at 12 noon today. They will sell at tiered prices, meaning that when the first and cheapest round of tickets sell out, the next tier, which is more expensive, will go on sale.

For those of you who don’t know about the fest, some explanation in necessary. The now 4 day music festival takes place each summer in Masontown, West Virginia. The small town welcomes music lovers from all over the country to its wide expanse of farm land.

A fishbowl view of the music mountain.

As you pull into the beautiful mountain top, you park your car and unload all your stuff. One of the best aspects of this festival is that you get to camp out right on the land the performers are playing on. Check out the great mountain view, set up your tent, cook yourself a burger on your portable grill, crack open a beer, then head to the main stage to catch a show.

From most areas around the main stage area, the walk from campsite to music is only 2-5 minutes. All along the way, there are delicious and often healthy options for food if you opted not to bring your own. There are also many bathroom facilities on the mountain.

And the whole time you’re there camping, act after act performs on the festival’s stages. It’s really a great experience for music lovers.

The lineup this year hasn’t been fully released yet, but here’s who signed on so far:

The first round of tickets for a three day pass costs $129. For a four day pass, first round prices start out at $144. For tickets, visit the All Good ticket page.

(3/7/10) UPDATE: It has just been announced that a few more acts have been added to the list of performers — Keller Williams & The Added Bonus, Bassnectar, Garage A Trois, The Travelin’ McCourys, Dr. Didg, and the Lee Boys.

My own excitement overwhelms me…Furthur has just released their winter tour dates!

Okay, so who the f is Further? Remember the Grateful Dead? Yeah, it’s some of those guys — guitarist Bob Weir and bassist Phil Lesh to be specific. But it’s also John Kadlecik, the guitarist who plays Jerry in Dark Star Orchestra, the number one Grateful Dead cover band. And then there’s Joe Russo, Jay Lane, and Jeff Chimenti, too!

It seems that for their first ride around the country, they’ve decided to hit a lot of large venues…Radio City Music Hall to name one. But not only that, they’ve also booked college campuses, too. I think they’ve figured out where their audiences are! They’re going to colleges like Lehigh University, the University of Delaware, Cornell University, and the University of Massachusetts. Joy!

Well, rather than me just ramble on about how great this all is, let me give you the link to the tour dates page so you can see for yourself: FURTHUR TOUR DATES.

Okay, so what’s going to happen to DSO when John Kadlecik leaves them? According to the band’s website, they will press on. Having gone through quite a few members in the past years, this band has the oomph to keep on going. But good luck finding another “Jerry Garcia” quite as good as Kadlecik.

It’s all for the best, really. Furthur comprises some of the most talented jam musicians in the country. This band is sure to be a hit with Dead fans and jam band fans alike. They will play Grateful Dead songs, of course, but will also venture away into their own material, too. I’m ready for them to take me FURTHUR!

I know I recently did a post about Sirius Satellite radio and it’s celebration of “Jerry Week,” but today just wouldn’t be the same without some acknowledgement of the anniversary of his death. (By the way, Jerry Week ends today.)

Thank you, Jerry, for so many years of wonderful music. Photo from cuckoobird.net.

On this date, 24 years ago, Jerry Garica suffered a fatal heart attack while he was at a drug treament center. He was only 53 years old. Not incredibly young, but young enough to declare that “only the good die young.”

Now he lives on through the thousands of recordings of his music. Also in the spirit of Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band, and Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, two of the remaining members who still tour the country regularly.

Many Grateful Dad fans paid their respects yesterday (and I’m sure more will today) by visiting Jerry’s hometown near San Francisco, CA.

Of course, Jerry has generated so much business since his death, it’s a real shame he couldn’t have been around to witness it. Think about all the commercial products available to consumers — Cherry Garcia ice cream, the Jerry Garcia necktie, t-shirts, photographs, Grateful Dead bears, books, music, and guitar picks. His family, I’m sure, is doing well in the horrible economy of today.

As the years go by, I can only hope that this important musician will stay as remembered as he is today. The Grateful Dead may not be one of the most recognizable bands in the world, but they are certainly one of the most loved. Deadheads are like no other fans around. They are loyal and always see the music for what it truly is.

I’d like to take this one opportunity to say “Thank you Jerry” for creating such an immense number of recordings and providing so many of us with a sense of good feeling and peacefulness.

We will always remember you.

Visit the New York Times for a very nice story on the anniversary of Jerry’s death.

For those of you who enjoyed the post about “a music festival everyone can afford,” this post will serve as a conclusion and review piece (with lots of pictures!).

The Mighty High Music Festival jammed on this past Saturday in Vasa Park, putting smiles on the faces of many old and young hippies. This summer marked the second annual concert in the series.

As I had mentioned in my last post about this Festival, the setting for the concert is absolutely amazing. Vasa Park is not only one of my new favorite places to see a show, but it’s suitable for anyone and everyone. The entire park is covered with shady trees, cool grass to lay in, and a wide area to do it all on. But yet, the shows there always remain cozy — not too big or too small.

Donna Godchaux at the Mighty High Music Festival. Photo by Kate Langenburg.

The Donna Godchaux Band kicked things off in a most happenin’ way. After all those years touring with the Grateful Dead, Ms. Donna sure hasn’t lost her voice — not even a smidgen of it. She was belting out harmonies and high notes like it was nobody’s business.

Accompanied by her band, she really made it sound like a Grateful Dead show. After a few songs with just the band, Lisa Mackey of Dark Star Orchestra joined in the performance, making the sound full and strong. It was amazing to see Donna, an original member of GD, with Lisa, a performer who sings her parts in a GD tribute band, together on stage!

The final song of their set together was (appropriately) “Mighty High.”

Then came my personal favorite: Keller Williams. I was so happy to see that he was on his own this time. Lately, he has been touring with Wesley, Droll, and Sipe. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great, but there’s nothing like seeing Keller solo when he can perform his looping of sounds and different instruments.

He ran all around that stage, picking a few notes here and there on his bass, which he had propped up on a stand, and strumming some chords on his guitar. All the while, he was hopping on over to his keyboard and synthesizers, making crazy sounds that the crowd was loving.

Keller Williams strums to his fans. Photo by Kate Langenburg.

Keller played some of his traditional tunes, including “Freeker by the Speaker” and also some obscure covers, like “Word Up” by Cameo. My favorite parts were when he just jammed out. He walked right up to the front of the stage and let his fans have it.

Which reminds me — if you ever go see Keller, make sure you get a spot right next to the stage. It’s a completely different experience seeing him up close than it is from the back of a venue. You really capture the essence of what he is trying to do with his many instruments.

Last came Dark Star Orchestra. These guys completely tore up the scene at Vasa Park. Not only were they the headliners of the festival, but they played two sets. Fans had the pleasure of listening to them long into the afternoon.

Dark Star Orchestra brings it on home. Photo by Kate Langenburg.

They played tons of Grateful Dead hits, including “Cassidy,” “Scarlet Begonias,” and even ended the show with a peaceful, love-your-neighbor performance of “Ripple.” As always, they didn’t let down their fans.

Rob Eaton plays the role of Bob Weir in DSO. Photo by Kate Langenburg.

To see Dark Star Orchestra is very much like seeing an actual live Dead show. It’s incredible how much the musicians in the band sound like the original Grateful Dead.

The audience grooved and glided together to the tunes of GD. It was interesting to see young and old deadheads come together for a little relaxin,’ tokin,’ and dancin.’ (By this time in the festival, almost everyone in my group was a little toasty, but it made for some great grooving, especially with other fans. That’s just the mentality of the crowd.)

At the very end of the show, Keller Williams came back out on stage to perform a few songs with Dark Star. What bliss to see such an amazing group of performers together!

Let’s hope for another Mighty High Festival just as good as this one next summer. I’m already lined up and ready to buy my ticket.

If you’re at all into jam bands, the summer time is the best time for music festivals. There are fests all over the United States, in places like New York, Tennessee, Connecticut, West Virginia, and Minnesota.

The only downside to some of these music havens is that if you’re low on cash, you might as well stay home. Sometimes, tickets to music festivals can run up to $250 for a weekend, not including food other expenses.

The good news — I have found you a mini festival that will satisfy all your jam band cravings and desires. If you live near the tri-state area, you’re set. The Mighty High Festival in Vasa Park (Hackettstown, NJ) is no three day camping extravaganza, but it’s just enough to give you a little taste of a big summer fest.

Three bands will play on the 18th of July, starting at 1pm. The Donna Godchaux band, featuring Donna Godchaux of the Grateful Dead, will kick things off. Then Keller Williams will take the stage, followed by a nice long set from Dark Star Orchestra.

Donna Godchaux has been touring for ages. Come on, she started out with the Grateful Dead for pete’s sake. It’s amazing that she is still out there, doing her thing. The same can be said for some of the Dead’s other members, Bob Weir and Phil Lesh.

Keller Williams jams out at a past performance in Pennsylvania. Photo by Kate Langenburg.

If you don’t already know him, let me introduce you to Keller Williams. You never know what you’ll get when you go to see him in concert. Sometimes he plays alone, other times he plays with a few back up performers, but it’s always great.

Keller usually breaks out several different instruments when he plays. Sometimes he stands in the middle of all of them, which he has arranged around him in a circle. He goes through them and picks which ones he wants to play, giving each one it’s turn. His instruments range from things like wooden sticks he bangs on his legs to something that looks like a xylophone. But he doesn’t hit the plates on it — he pulls up his hands above the plates to make incredible alien like noises. Some of his music is truly weird, but very creative.

And finally, I will get to Dark Star Orchestra. In the Mighty High Festival, it is safe to say that this band will take the longest set. They are basically a cover band, but they cover a very special band that is near and dear to every jam band lover’s heart — the Grateful Dead.

The cool thing about them is that they usually recreate an entire GD show. They play the whole setlist from start to finish, and then at the end they tell their audience what set from which year they have just played.

But these guys sound SO much like the Grateful Dead. It’s really amazing. If you’d like to hear a podcast that yours truly composed about the band, click here.

Might I add on a side note that Vasa Park is a wonderful place to see a concert. It’s outside, it’s open, it’s full of trees and shade. You can come with a chair or blanket, or just chill on the grass. I promise you one thing, my friend. You won’t be disappointed.